Wall Solutions
At the heart of sustainability A summary of sustainability credentials for UK manufactured clay facing and engineering bricks
Responsible Sourcing BES 6001
All UK manufactured clay bricks are certified to BES 6001 – the Building Research Establishment (BRE) Environmental and Sustainability framework standard for the Responsible Sourcing of Construction Products. All products are rated as “Good” or “Very Good” according to this standard – the individual product ratings and factory certificates can be found at www.wienerberger.co.uk/sustainability in Products/Responsible Sourcing.
Green Guide Rating A+
All UK manufactured clay bricks are covered by an accredited Environmental Profile issued by the BRE. This profile is used in the BRE Green Guide to give an A+ rating to all wall elements commonly used in the UK.
Code for Sustainable Homes
UK manufactured clay bricks gain additional credits in a Code for Sustainable Homes assessment on the basis of both their Responsible Sourcing certification and their Green Guide rating.
Service Life 150 Years
Clay bricks are expected to have a Service Life of at least 150 years provided that the building of which they form part is designed and constructed in accordance with all prevailing Building Regulations and Codes of Practice.
Thermal Mass
Clay bricks offer the recognised advantages of using materials that offer high thermal mass. Thermal mass is the ability to store heat – bricks absorb heat throughout the day slowly releasing it at night, ensuring internal temperatures are consistent throughout the day and night.
Environmental Management ISO 14001
Clay bricks are manufactured in accordance with an Environmental Management System independently certified to ISO 14001. Individual factory certificates can be found at www.wienerberger.co.uk/sustainability in Practices/Environmental Management.
Energy Consumption
The average energy consumption for UK manufactured clay bricks is 102 kWh/m2. This is delivered energy including gas and electricity. Usage of energy is closely controlled and energy reduction targets are in place as agreed with UK Government. Currently more than 82% of the electricity used in manufacturing is generated as green electricity on or adjacent to our manufacturing sites.
Embodied Carbon
An independent study has shown that the average carbon footprint of a UK manufactured brick is 244 kg CO2 per tonne delivered to site. This equates to an embodied carbon content of around 28 kg CO2 for the clay brick component of one square metre of masonry. When the service life and low maintenance is taken into account this relates to a CO2 contribution of 0.19 kg CO2 per square metre per year. On average the transport component of the embodied carbon content as delivered to site represents less than 4% of the total. Our emissions of CO2 from clay brick manufacture are 12.5% lower than the industry average.
Water Usage
The average usage of added water is 0.044 m3 for the brick component of 1m2 of masonry. Of this 48% comes from non mains sources. (The water footprint differs slightly between extruded products and soft mud moulded products.)
Inclusion of Recycled and Secondary Raw Materials
The UK clay brick industry monitor the usage of MARSS (Materials from Alternative Recycled and Secondary Sources) utilised in clay brick manufacture and the latest report shows 9.7%. On average the Wienerberger usage of such recycled material in 2012 was 20.4% although this varies from product to product. In excess of 100 products are available which meet the WRAP guidance as “Good Practice” (i.e. greater than 10% MARSS content) and products are also available which meet the WRAP guidance level as “Best Practice” (i.e. greater than 30% MARSS content.)
Health and Safety Management BCC Pledge
Wienerberger Ltd are signatories to the British Ceramic Confederation Health & Safety Pledge which sets targets for improvements in workplace Health & Safety. The Pledge is a joint initiative involving the Trade Unions, the Health and Safety Executive and UK ceramic manufacturing companies. Phase 3 of the Pledge targeted a 30% reduction by the end of 2012 in accidents involving injury and injury related absence based on a 2006 baseline. These targets were achieved and in fact the actual reduction reported in both cases was in excess of 52%.
Waste Disposal to Landfill
Clay brick manufacture produces minimal waste. Less than 5 tonnes of waste is sent to landfill for every million bricks produced. All clay “waste” is recycled within the process and sub standard fired bricks are used as secondary aggregate or used to surface quarry roads. All recyclable wastes are dealt with in a responsible manner.
Brick Development Association Sustainability Strategy
Wienerberger Ltd are committed to the Brick Development Association (BDA) Sustainability Strategy for the UK Brick Industry and have now contributed 10 years of performance data to the Sustainability Key Performance Indicator report which is published annually by the BDA. (Refer to www.brick.org.uk.)
Wienerberger House, Brooks Drive, Cheadle Royal Business Park, Cheadle, Cheshire, SK8 3SA Tel: 0161 491 8200 Fax: 0161 491 6213 Email: office@wienerberger.co.uk Web: www.wienerberger.co.uk
@WienerbergerUK